


Beloved of the Goddess

by Libelli



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst, F/M, Female Dimitri, Gender or Sex Swap, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Immortal Byleth, Male My Unit | Byleth, Mentions of Pregnancy, Post-Canon, immortal character, post azure moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:21:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27677321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Libelli/pseuds/Libelli
Summary: Demeter asks Byleth when they will secure the succession, it does not go as planned.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 21





	Beloved of the Goddess

“Gustave asked when I would secure the succession.” 

Demeter kept herself focused on her task, placing each of her rings in the dish next to her mirror. She pretended that Byleth’s back stiffening was nothing. 

“He put emphasis on the fact it’s been two years since we were married,” An orange gem ring from Sylvain, in the bowl.

Byleth tossed his boots against the wall. “Well, it’s not like we’ve been _trying_ to stop it,”

Demeter smiled a little and looked at her husband through the mirror. He did not meet her gaze. Demeter’s smile fell. Her ring from her mother, off. 

“The council echoed his concern.” Demeter said. Byleth did not answer this time. “Even  _ Felix _ ,” 

That couldn’t even bait him. One of Claude’s rings, off. The ring of the Fearghus monarch, off. Demeter’s fingers circled around her last ring- her wedding ring. 

Demeter rose and approached Byleth. She paused in front of him, and his bright green eyes finally looked up to her. 

“What do you think?” Demeter asked. She searched his face for an answer. “Things have finally settled, and-”

Byleth rose and he rested his hands on his wife’s shoulders, slowly, like her touch would burn. “ _ My love… _ ” Byleth sighed, he would not look at her again.

“ _ Beloved _ ,” 

Demeter reached up and tucked a strand of Byleth’s minty hair behind his ear. She missed the deep blue it had once been, but the green of the goddess had grown on her. 

“Don’t do something just because you’re queen.” Byleth mumbled. 

_ What is he doing? _ “I don’t want to because of duty!” Demeter said. “I want to because I want to!”

Her husband finally looked up. Demeter stepped closer to him. “I want to have children with you.” she said. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Something that’s you and...me put together?”

The children being her beloved’s, Demeter had no problem with. It was the part that was her that gave her pause. After everything she had done? How could she give that legacy to a child? An innocent baby? 

A baby she would love with her whole being, and raise with her beloved. Teach them of the good and joy in the world. Surely, there was some worth in that. 

_ And it would make her happy. _

_ Her family. _

Byleth looked like he was going to be sick. 

“What is it?” Demeter asked. 

“ _ It’s nothing, _ ” 

“If it was nothing we would not be having this conversation.” She leaned into him. 

Byleth blushed for a moment, and then he shook his head. He stepped away from Demeter, leaving the space in front of her cold and empty. 

“What is it.” Demeter asked again. 

Byleth ran his fingers through his hair, when he realized he was doing he ripped his hand away. 

Tears pricked in Demter’s eye. “Do you...not want to…” she couldn’t finish the sentence. 

“No!” Byleth cried. Panic was stricken on his face. “It’s not that! It’s just...I can’t...I  _ won’t _ .”

“ _ You can’t or you won’t _ ?” Demeter said. “What does that even mean?”

Byleth squared his shoulders. He still could not look at his wife. “I am the goddess reborn.” he stated. “I have all the powers, gifts, and burdens she bore.”

Byleth sat on their bed. He reached out his hand. Demeter would not join him. She blinked the tears out of her eye. He let his hand fall. 

“Seteth, Rhea, and Flayn were all descended from her. They are her children from ancient times.” Byleth said. “They didn’t grow ill, or age, or die.  _ They couldn’t _ .”

Demeter shook her head. She felt cold. 

“Any children we had, they’d probably be like  _ them _ .” Byleth whispered. “ _ Be like me _ .” 

The world spun around Demeter. With what strength she could, she let herself sit next to Byleth. 

_ They would be like them. They wouldn’t die. They’d have to assume fake names and go into hiding once a lifetime had passed. _ The realizations came crashing down. “I wouldn’t see them grow...and you...you’re not going to age anymore, are you?” 

Demeter’s and Byleth’s gazes met. Byleth’s eyes were rimmed with tears. He shook his head. 

“ _ I’ll die before all of you? _ ” 

Byleth reached across the small distance and took her hand in his. 

Demeter buried her face in her free hand. She was shaking and she did not try and stop it. 

“ _ Figures _ ,” she spat, “How could I think this could get better? The second everything seems to be going normal... _ Is this what it means to be loved by the goddess _ ? She can give me joy after joy and  _ take it away _ like it was nothing? And expect me to still believe in her?” she stopped before she realized what not ageing meant. “You’ll have to go again. Before our ages show. And leave me to die alone. Our children would be like you, and they wouldn’t get to have their own families either.  _ I would curse them by giving them life _ .” Demeter sobbed. “ _ What must I do...? _ ” She turned to Byleth. “YOU’RE THE GODDESS TELL ME-”

Byleth was crying. 

His shoulders heaved and his face was red. He choked on his sobs. 

Demeter froze. “Beloved?”

“ _ I’m sorry, _ ”

Byleth held her hand tightly. Demeter’s anger at the goddess was snuffed out. She drew closer to Byleth and reached out with her other hand. 

“ _ I’m sorry _ ,” Byleth sobbed. “ _ I’m so sorry _ .  _ I’ve failed you again _ .”

“You’ve never-”

“ _ Yes, I have! _ ” Byleth cried. “I left you once, and look what happened! And now... _ now we can’t even _ …” Byleth tucked his head against her shoulder. “ _ I don’t want to do it again _ .”

“Do what, my beloved?”

“ _ Watch you die, _ ” Byleth said. “I’ve seen it so many times. The only thing that ever made it bearable was that I knew I could reverse it and prevent it from happening. It was never your destiny to die on the battlefield. But old? Safe and in your bed?” A new wave of tears washed over Byleth. Demeter held him tight. “I don’t want anyone else to go through that.” 

Demeter didn’t know what to do. All the times he had helped her and this was how she repaid him? She leaned down, wrapping Byleth’s body with her’s. His hands dug into her clothes like she would slip away. 

“ _ I don’t want to _ ,” Byleth said, his face still buried into her shoulder, “ _ I don’t want to see you die _ .”

“You won’t,” Demeter said, trying to make her voice strong and even, “Not for a long time.”

They stayed together, their voices soft. Like a mantra Demeter repeated, “You won’t, you won’t,” as Byleth cried. 

Byleth shifted and Demeter let him go. He sat up and looked at her through eyes still filled with tears. Demeter cradled her husband’s face in her hands and wiped the tears away with her thumbs. He leaned into her touch.

“I love you,” Byleth said, “I’ve always loved you and I always will. And I wish...I wish this could be different.” 

Demeter felt a tear slip down her cheek. She pulled Byleth close to her again, and he wrapped his arms around her middle. 

The council did not receive an answer.

  
  



End file.
